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'Il"l'"""lllllll'"'"'lll'""l""lllll' IIIIIIMIIIIIIimiH"lll"llllllllllllllilHlllllilMll IIIIIIIIIIIJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHMII, 


CANTON 


DITTY   BOX   GUIDE    BOOK    SERIES 


BUREAU    OF    NAVIGATION 


NAVY    DEPARTMENT 


Legend 

® Chong-Yuen-Fong  |  (g) Cheung-Shau-Tsi  fTempie  0*  Urgevit/I 

® Y  M.CA.  (7)  Chen-Hoi-Lao  ( F.^e-sfonel)  F^oda) 

@ Wa^Tai-IOcUgooil  FlowtrPagodJ®  Ho.-Tung-Tsi  (  Buddh.at  Temple) 

0 WalfamTszl  Temple  o(  500  Gods),     Location  of  Former  WaJIs  of  Canton 

© Ng-Sin-Kwa/.(TempleofFi,eCenii) 

r 


A  CHINESE  JINRIKISHA  RUNNER  WITH  HIS  RAIN-PROOF  COAT 


CANTON 


CHINA 


Published  by 

BUREAU  OF  NAVIGATION 

under  authority  of  the 

Secretary  of  the  Navy 


\        \ 


GIFT 


Contents 

Page 
Introduction    --------..         ...._ii 

The  River  Pirates -__ j5 

Sunrise  in  Canton    -------.___...    10 

A  Battle  for  Life  ---------....2'' 

On  Shameen  Island  --------.....95 

Coffins  and  Gongs        --... .98 

The  Passing  Walls ^^ 

Celestial  Temples         -----...._.         ..2c 

The  City  of  Death 2S 

"Rats,  Cats,  and "         -------....         .49 

Idols  and  Pottery     ---..... «/: 

The  Chinese  Fleet ._.,<« 

Wati  and  Honan ----.-_.    SO 

Clipper-Ship  Days        --------.....51 

4.'3S67i 


Foreword 


INCE  warships  flying  the  .Vmorican  flag  havo  made  the  world 

Sof  waters  their  cruising  grounds  and  since  they  carry  with 
them  scores  of  thousands  of  seagoing  ^imericans,  the  per- 
sonal interest  of  the  Nation  in  ports,  far  and  near,  is  ever 
increashig  in  recent  years. 

In  order  to  furnish  valuable  information  to  officers  and 
enlisted  men  of  the  Navy  who  visit  these  ports,  the  Bureau 
of  Navigation   is  preparing  individual  guidebooks   on    the 
principal  ports  of  all  (piarters  of  the  globe. 

Although  every  effort  has  been  made  to  include  accurate  information 
on  the  most  important  subjects  connected  with  this  port,  it  is  realized 
that  some  important  facts  may  have  been  omitted  and  that  certain 
details  may  be  inaccurate.  Any  information  concerning  omissions  or 
inaccuracies  addressed  to  Guidebook  Editor,  Bureau  of  Navigation,  will 
be  appreciated.  The  information  will  be  incorporatetl  into  revised 
editions. 

Acknowledgment  is  made  to  the  National  Geographic  Society  for  its 
suggestions,  both  as  to  editorial  ])()licy  and  the  int(>r(>sting  details  con- 
cerning this  port  and  its  environs. 

Acknowledgment  is  also  made  to  Underwood  &  Underwood  and 
Publishers'  Photo  Service  for  the  following  photographs,  which  are  <'opy- 
righted. 


Nine 


Introduction 


P  TITE  artery  of  yellow  water,  which  runs  to  the  China 
Sea  from'  the  heart  of  Kwangtung  Province,  the  traveler 
finds  the  river  port  of  Canton,  where  he  sees  many 
mibelievable  things — unhelieva])le  from  the  occidental 
vicnvpoint — even  though  he  views  them  through  the 
unclouded  windov/s  of  nis  own  inquisitive  Western  soul. 
Canton  is  a  city  of  walls  and  temples;  narrow  streets 
and  lanes  of  water;  flower  boats  and  other  river  craft; 
jostling  humanity  and  high-pitched  voices;  sedan  chairs  and  perspiring 
coolies;  native  merchants  and  prodigal  sons;  foreign  merchants  and 
diplomats — an  old,  old  city,  whose  lower  classes  think  cockroaches  in 
honey  and  snakes  in  broth  a  rare  combination  well  suited  to  the  most 
fastidious  tastes. 

Those  travelers  who  bide  a  while  in  Hongkong  before  embarking  on 
the  water  journey  to  Canton  will  be  rewardecl  with  a  colorful  glimpse  of 
Chin(>se  life;  })ut  the  island  has  been  under  British  rule  for  so  long  a  time 
that  it  is  more  European  than  oriental.  In  Canton  the  reverse  is  true. 
As  Hongkong  is  British,  so  Canton  is  Chinese — deliberately,  stubbornly, 
patiently  Chinese. 

The  noses  in  Canton  have  never  been  counted,  for  the  Government  has 
found  it  impossible  to  carry  out  a  census  with  any  degree  of  accuracy. 


Eleven 


The  Chinese  population  has  been  estimated  at  1,250,000;  but  the  guess 
is  much  too  conservative  in  the  opinion  of  the  stranger  just  arrived  in 
Canton,  for  there  seem  to  be  more  yellow  men  within  the  ancient  city 
than  in  all  the  rest  of  the  round  world. 

Chinese  here,  Chinese  there,  Chinese  yonder — so  many  Chinese  that  the 
impressionable  traveler  in  Canton  dreams  o'  night  of  shuffling,  felt-clad 
feet,  oblique  eyes,  saffron  faces,  singsong  voices,  cotton  trousers,  and 
voluminous  shirts;  not  to  mention  the  clash  of  Chinese  cyml)als  and  the 
wailing  of  mourners  in  the  frequent  funeral  processions  and  other  common 
sights  in  this  river  port  of  wSouth  China,  in  the  Province  of  Kwangtung. 

Canton  is  so  old  that  even  the  native  custodians  of  local  tradition 
have  lost  count  of  the  years  since  it  was  founded.  Some  of  the  ancient 
coolies  crouching  near  the  wharves  and  sunning  their  wrinkled  skins  look 
as  if  they  might  be  able  to  tell  the  age  of  their  city;  but  a  whimsical 
question  elicits  only  a  request  for  alms,  mumbled  with  a  mouth  which 
nas  lost  its  teeth,  so  that  the  owner  meets  withdilhculty  in  chewing  even 
the  small  portions  of  food  needed  to  keep  the  spark  of  life  aglow  in  his 
shaky  body. 

Canton  is  one  of  the  most  important  trade  centers  of  China,  loeingthe 
fimnel  through  which  tlie  exports  of  Kwangtung  and  Kwangsi  provmces  are 
poured  in  the  hohls  of  waiting  ships  and  carried  to  the  foreign  markets. 

Scores  of  thousands  of  coolies  are  engaged  in  the  task  of  handling  the 
great  volume  of  trade  which  comes  through  Canton.     They  toil  the  long 


Twelve 


day  through  for  the  gain  of  a  few  cents;  and  apparently  never  dream  of 
makhig  further  wage  demands  on  thoh'  foreign  and  high-caste  employers. 

Or  if  the  coolies  dream  such  dreams  of  sudden  wealth,  they  keep  them 
to  themselves,  for  they  have  labored  under  the  same  conditions  all  their 
lives,  and  th(nr  fathers  and  grandfathers  did  the  same  before  them.  So 
they  believe — do  the  coolies — that  they  are  fortunate  in  earning  enough 
to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door;  they  toil  by  day  and  by  night,  with  hardly 
a  word  of  serious  complaint.  They  are  a  fatalistic  people,  many  of  them 
willhig,  curiously  enough,  to  work  all  their  lives  for  the  purchase  money 
of  a  coffin  in  which  their  bodies  can  rest  after  death. 

Occasionally  a  coolie  acquires  wealth,  either  by  a  stroke  of  luck  in  his 
own  locality  or  by  emigrating  to  another  country,  where  he  succeeds  in 
making  enough  to  live  in  comfort  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  If  such  is 
the  case,  he  usually  returns  to  Canton,  is  soon  drawn  into  the  whirlpool  of 
native  life,  and  lives  an  envied  life  of  leisure  as  an  independent  Cantonese. 

The  most  important  exports  of  Canton  are  tea,  silk,  paper,  and  pre- 
serves, and  firecrackers — most  of  them  going  to  the  United  States, 
where  they  are  used,  for  the  most  part,  in  helping  the  small  boy  make 
himself  heard  on  the  Fourth  of  July. 

In  former  years  a  majority  of  the  imports  and  exports  of  Canton 
were  carried  in  British  bottoms,  but  with  the  amazing  growth  of  the 
American  merchant  marine  it  is  expected  our  countrv  will  take  over  a 


Thirteen 


groat  deal  of  the  trade  which  has  hitherto  been  monopoHzed  by  the 
British — although  the  occupation  of  Hongkong  in  1842  by  our  ally  in 
the  World  War  puts  us  at  a  disadvantage,  which,  however,  should  be 
largely  overcome  by  American  initiative. 

Canton  communicates  by  steam  with  Hongkong,  Shanghai,  and 
Macao.  Present  conditions  necessitate  the  passage  through  the  former  of 
nearly  all  commodities  sent  to  Canton  from  the  United  States  and  Europe. 
A  plan  to  establish  a  free  port  near  Macao  has  been  considered  for  several 
years,  and  the  carrying  into  effect  of  such  a  plan  would  doubtless  lessen 
the  present  importance  of  Hongkong. 

Canton  is  about  100  miles  by  rail  from  Hongkong,  and  the  trip  can 
be  made  in  five  hours'  time;  but  many  strangers  prefer  to  travel  by  way 
of  the  Chukiang  River,  since  the  view  is  incomparably  better  and  less 
tiresome.  So  in  the  following  pages  we  shall  travel  up  the  Chukiang 
River  to  Canton,  experiencing  some  of  the  thrills  which  come  from  the 
presence  of  river  pirates,  who  pui-sue  with  dihgence  the  ancient  profession 
of  their  f()r(>fathers  of  more  barbaric  days  and  against  whom  ships  must 
ever  ])e  on  guard. 

After  tlie  interesting  river  trip  we  arrive  in  the  harbor  of  Canton. 
Making  our  way  among  the  innumerable  and  strangely-fashioned  boats, 
we  struggle  thi'ough  the  throngs  of  chattering  men  and  boys  who  swarm 
along  the  water  front,  and  proceed  to  make  the  best  of  our  visit  in  this 
Chinese  port. 


Fourteen 


CANTON 


THE  RIVER  PIRATES 

HE  cruise  to  Canton  be- 
gins, in  this  instance, 
from  the  Harbor  of  Hong- 
kong around  the  evening 
hour  of  ten,  when  the  vel- 
vety bhickness  of  the 
hot  oriental  night  has 
settled  around  the  trav- 
eler, makinw  him  feel  a  bit  uncomfort- 
able— as  if  he  were  shrouded  in  a  thick, 
woolen  blanket  and  confined  in  a  warm 
room  on  a  July  day. 

Tn  the  city  of  ^'ict()ria.  resting  on  the 
rim  of  tli(>  harbor,  there  gleams  a  profu- 
sion of  lights  which  silvers  in  ])laces  the 
mist  hanging  over  the  island.  The  liglits 
are  constantly  flickering,  some  dyin^  nil 
of  a  sudden  and  others  blazing  torth 
where  tlie  fingers  of  night  had  been  piling 
up  dark  siiadows  just  a  moment  before. 
A  weird  ciy  aris(^s  from  the  water 
front  and  is  flung  ])-?:-k  by  the  multifold 
echoes.  The  cry  comes  from  a  group  of 
men  engaged  in  a  dispute  on  one  of  the 
piers.  The  echo  seems  to  startle  them, 
for  they  run,  bending  low  and  glancing 


over  their  backs.  The  clump,  clump  of 
police  boots  is  heard,  and  a  thread  of 
light  from  a  flash-liglit  travels  through  the 
gloom.  A  spurt  of  orange-colored  flame 
and  a  staccato  "crack-crack."  Some  one 
is  being  reckless. 

A  broad  beam  of  li^ht  from  a  search- 
light on  a  warship,  whose  outlines  are 
vaguely  discernible  in  the  distance,  at- 
tracts the  attention — ^since  all  men  re- 
semble moths,  in  that  they  are  more  or  less 
fascinated  ])y  light.  The  warship  fiashes 
a  signal  to  an  invisible  receiver.  The 
flood  of  liglit  is  checked  as  suddenly  as  it 
was  released.  Points  of  reflected  light 
glisten  from  the  tops  of  small  waves  in 
the  harbor.  It's  a  question  whether  the 
light  comes  from  tlie  city  or  from  the 
crescent  moon  which  hangs  from  a 
wreath  of  clouds  in  the  sky. 

The  voyage  begins,  and  after  cross- 
ing the  harbor  the  river  steamer  is  lost 
for  a  time  in  a  tortuous  channel  A\Tiggling 
in  and  around  tlie  maze  of  small  islands 
between  Hongkong  and  the  mainland. 

In  al)()ut  two  hours'  time  the  ancient 
Bogue  fortresses  come  into  view,  and  the 

Fifteen 


CANTON 


Across  Canton  River 

steamer  soon  finds  itself  in  the  brown 
waters  of  tlic;  Chukiang  liiver — or  the 
Pearl,  or  the  Canton  J?iver,  as  it  is  some- 
times called  by  foreigners.  It  is  on  the 
Chukiang  Jliver  that  the  crews  of  pas- 
senger boats  take  all  possible  precautions 

Sixteen 


against  attack  by  Chinese  pirates,  who 
resemble  criminals  the  world  over,  in  that 
they  are  more  prone  to  operate  at  night 
than  in  daytime.  But  the  sim  never 
renders  the  Chinese  cousins  of  "(\i|)'n 
Flint"  so  timid  as  to  keej)  them  from 
attacking  a  steamship  in  broad  (hiylight 
if  the  opportunity  presents  itself. 

The  local  governments  have  found  it 
impossible  always  to  protect  shij)s  against 
the  danger  of  assaults  by  river  pirates;  so 
the  steamship  companies,  in  self-defense, 
place  armed  guards  on  board  tlie  Canton 
boats.  The  guards  are  equipped  with 
rifles,  revolvers,  and  sometimes  shot- 
guns, which  often  serve  to  scare  off,  at 
long  range,  suspicious  looking  individuals. 
The  value  of  life  is  not  so  great  in  this 
particular  stretch  of  country  as  in  the 
Occi(kmt,  and  the  guards  take  no  risks, 
preferring  to  shoot  first  and  ask  questions 
afterwards  a  course  of  action  reminiscent 
of  early  days  on  the  American  frontiers. 

The  guards  are  on  the  al(M-t.  although 
no  pirates  have  shown  themselves  on  tlu^ 
river  for  weeks,  and  the  possibility  of  a 
skirmish  lends  spice  to  what  would  other- 
wise be  an  uneventful  trip. 


CANTON 


On  either  side  of  the  muddy  river  are 
phintations  devoted  to  tlie  cultivation  of 
rice  and  hananas.  and  at  intervals  little 
groujis  of  houses  come  into  view — shadow^^ 
through  the  dark  curtain  of  night  which 
has  definitely  fallen  over  the  land. 

The  river  pirates  do  not  make  them- 
selves heard  or  seen  on  this  particular 
trip:  but  the  passengers,  assured  that  it 
might  well  have  happened  otherwise,  are 
told  that  fully  20.0()()  pirates  live  along 
the  Ohukiang  P.iver  and  in  and  near  Can- 
ton. Occasionally  the  outside  world  hears 
of  passengers  and  crew  being  murdered 
and  a  ship  burned  by  the  pirates  on  the 
Chukiang  River;  then  all  precautionary 
measures  are  redoubled. 

Expeditions  are  sometimes  sent  out  by 
the  Government  in  search  of  river  pirates. 
Upon  the  successful  conclusions  of  such 
trips  scores  of  the  half- wild  captives  are 
executed.  Sometimes  the  Government 
raiders  are  defeated,  and  the  pirates, 
emboldened  by  their  success,  make 
further  forays  against  steamships  and 
drive,  for  a  time,  many  of  the  smaller 
craft  from  the  Hongkong-Clinton  river 
trade. 


Low-Caste  Women  in  Rice  Fields 

There  are  three  or  four  companies 
o]) crating  steamers  between  Hongkong 
and  Canton,  one  of  them  being  known  as 
the  British  Line  (the  Hongkong  and 
Macao  Steamboat  Compan}').     Steamers 

Seventeen 


CANTON 


River  Boats  Alive  with  Native  Passengers 

owned  by  this  line — the  KinsTian,  Ileung- 
shan,  Honan,  and  Faishan— leave  Hong- 
kong at  10  p.  m.,  arriving  in  Canton  at 
6.30   o'clock   in   the  morning. 

Steamers  from    Hongkong   to  Canton 
and  return  are  also  operated  by  a  Chinese 

Eighteen 


'v-.  , 


company,  whose  rates  are  cheaper  than 
the  Britisli  company's.  Its  ships,  the 
Kivangtung  and  the  Kvxingsai,  arc  often 
patronized  by  tourists.  These  boats  leave 
Hongkong  at  9  p.  m.,  arriving  in  Canton 
at  G.30  o  clock  the  next  morning. 

The  traveler  desiring  to  visit  Canton 
by  rail  should  board  the  train  at  Kowloon, 
the  terminus  of  the  Canton-Hankow 
Railroad.  The  line,  built  by  the  Chinese, 
was  extended  by  the  British,  who  plan 
eventuall}'  to  make  it  a  direct  line  to 
Paris. 

SUNRISE  IN  CANTON 

lAYING  eluded  the  river 
pirates,  the  steamer 
makes  rapid  headway  up 
the  Chukiang  Iliver,  and 
as  the  sky  l)rushes  the 
darkness  from  its  face 
and  the  sun  sends  great 
streamers  of  crimson  and 
purple  light  from  behind  tlie  gray  clouds 
massed  on  the  eastern  horizon,  the  out- 
skirts of  Canton  come  into  view,  and  there 
is  a  rush  of  work  on  the  deck  as  the  pas- 
sengers make  ready  to  land,  all  thoughts 


CANTON 


of  murderous  river  pirates  momentarily 
banished  from  their  minds. 

The  sun  is  still  hesitating  below  the 
rim  of  the  earth  when  the  steamer  from 
Hongkong  breasts  the  muddy  waters  of 
that  part  of  the  river  whicli  flows  through 
the  fringes  of  Canton. 

Most  of  the  buildings  in  Canton  croucli 
low,  as  if  apprehensive  of  an  angry,  sweep- 
ing blow  from  the  typhoons  brewed  occa- 
sionally in  the  atmospheric  kettle  of  the 
China  Sea.  They  are  more  humble,  these 
buildings,  than  the  skyscrapers  of  the 
American  continent.  One  of  the  lords 
among  them  is  the  five-storied  Pagoda 
which  looks  calmly  down  on  other  struc- 
tures from  its  superior  height. 

Seasoned  travelers  prefer  to  arrive  in 
Canton  early  in  the  morning,  for  then  the 
life  of  the  city  may  be  observed  under 
more  favorable  conditions.  The  maxim 
"early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise"  is  ob- 
served in  Canton  as  well  as  in  the  service, 
for,  as  the  steamer  approaches  the  wharf, 
the  river  seems  to  be  alive  with  scores  of 
craft,  ranging  from  unwieldy  junks  to 
small  sampans,  which  dart  in  and  out 
among  the  slower  moving,  more  sedate 


Funeral  Boats,  Canton 

boats,  as  children  })lay  tag  aroimd  a  crowd 
of  their  elders. 

Every  boat  paddler  appears  to  be 
trying  his  best  to  throw  his  or  her  voice 
across   the   river,    and   the   range   varies 

Nineteen 


CANTON 


astonishingly — from  the  bass  of  the  doep- 
chostpd  moiiiitainpor  on  the  rail  of  a 
near-by  junk,  to  the  sereechy,  nerve-rend- 
ino;  falsetto  of  the  ano;rv  Chinese  woman 
in  the  fnel-ladeji  sampan,  as  she  beats 
her  son.  The  sampan,  it  appears,  has 
just  escaped  being  rammed  by  a  junk 
under  full  canvas,  and  the  unfortunate 
son  is  blamed  for  the  near  collision. 

The  monotonous  singsong  of  Chinese 
voices  is  silenced  for  tlie  moment  by  a 
sudden  outbui'st  from  the  native  sailors 
on  a  funeral  boat  ancliored  near  the  shore. 
The  crew  evidently  believes  the  only  way 
to  mourn  the  dead  is  by  constant,  per- 
sistent, never-ending  lamentations.  Very 
shortly  the  uproar  is  augmented  by  the 
dashing  together  of  gr(\-it  cymbals.  The 
inquisitive  passengers  on  the  steamer  are 
inf'()rm(>(l  that  the  crew  isfriglitening  away 
evil  sj)irits,  who  thrive  on  quiet,  and  who, 
if  left  in  peace,  miglit  bring  harm  to  the 
bo(Hes  of  the  dead  on  board  the  funeral 
boats.  • 

A  questionable  whifl'  from  another 
funeral  boat,  hard  by  the  bank  farther 
up  the  stream,  is  resj)onsible  for  a  ques- 
tion.    The  travehM-  hears,  by  way  of  reply, 

Twenty 


that  some  of  the  dead  have  been  on  the 
boat  for  five  or  six  months.  They  will 
remain  there  until  the  time  is  auspicious 
for  burial. 

Each  of  the  funeral  boats  seems  to  be 
trying  to  outdo  the  others  in  making  the 
welkin  ring.  The  din  soon  grows  so  deaf- 
ening that  the  traveler  lialf  expects  to  see 
tlie  dead  arise  and  poke  their  heads  above 
the  lacquered  sides  of  their  coffins  on  the 
deck  of  the  funeral  l)oat. 

Across  tlie  river  from  Canton  the  trav- 
eler sees  the  cities  of  Wati  and  Honan, 
where  he  will  view  many  sights  almost  as 
strange  as  those  in  Canton  if  he  chooses 
to  spare  the  time  necessary  for  a  visit  in 
the  two  suburban  districts:  but,  as  a  rule, 
the  majoritv  of  strangers  find  Canton  so 
indescribalily  fascinating  that  they  hesi- 
tate to  roam  through  the  neighlioi'ing 
sections  in  s(\ir('h  of  attractions,  which 
must  iiidubitably  prove  less  interesting 
tlian  those  of  Canton. 

The  ship  passes  more  funeral  boats, 
more  junks  and  sampans,  and  now  and 
then  the  j^assengers  see  small  fishing  boats 
rowed  by  native  women,  who  dip  nets  into 
the  muddv  waters  of  the  river  and  crv  out 


CANTON 


angrily  when  the  fisli  evade  the  trap  tliiis 
set  for  them.  And,  since  the  dripping 
nets  come  out  of  the  water  empty  more 
often  than  not,  the  reader  can  imagine 
the  crescendo  of  feminine  screams  which 
assails  the  ears  just  as  easily  as  if  l;e  him- 
self were  there  to  see  and  to  hear  the 
fisher  women  call  down  the  wrath  of 
Heaven  on  hoth  the  fish  and  any  humans 
who  may  happen  to  be  within  screaming 
distance. 

Tlie  crews  on  the  fishing  boats  seem 
to  fear  the  wrath  of  th.ese  Chinese  Amazons 
as  much  as  the  people  of  medieval  times 
feared  the  wrath  of  bedraggled,  hook-nosed 
witches,  who  were  supposed  to  spend  most 
of  their  time  concocting  strange  brews  in 
three-legged  kettles  and  riding  in  the 
clouds  astride  brooms  all  hung  with  cob- 
webs. 

There  is  something  weird  and  uncanny 
about  it  all — funeral  boats,  screaming 
fisher  women,  brass  c\Tnbals,  junks,  sam- 
pans, river  pirates,  lacquered  coffins,  half- 
naked  men,  howling  mourners,  cock- 
roaches in  honey,  and  snakes  in  broth. 
It  is  almost  unbelievable,  alm:)st  impos- 
sible of  conception  to  us  Americans  who 


usually  live  a  sane,  well-ordered  sort  of 
existence.  The  people  of  an  American 
city,  were  they  to  live  their  lives  in  sucli 
a  fashion  as  do  those  in  Canton,  would  be 
considered  eccentric,  if  not  actually  mad ; 
but  the  Cantonese  take  their  mode  of 
livi:ig  and  their  customs  as  calmly  as 
3'ou  please  and  find  nothing  unusual  or 
strange  about  them.  And  it  is  tliis  feel- 
ing; which  makes  Canton  so  enchanting  to 
trousered,  shirted,  shoe-wearing,  soap- 
using  Americans.  In  Canton  we  find  once 
more  the  eternal  truth  of  that  trite, 
shrewd  observation:  "One-half  of  the 
world  knows  not  how  the  other  half 
lives."  The  least  that  can  be  said  for 
Canton  is  that  it  is  different.  Exceed- 
ingly, strikingly,  abrupt Iv  different.  Can- 
ton is  Canton,  just  as  >\ow  York  is  New 
York,  and  Paris  is  Paris,  and  Mexico  is 
Mexico.     It  couldn't  be  otherwise. 

A  breeze  has  sprung  up  by  this  time, 
and  the  surface  of  the  river  is  broken  into 
iiuni])eiiess  ripples  which  dance  a  sort  of 
listless,  rhythmic,  measured  dance,  and 
cause  the  smaller  boats  to  move  up  and 
down  as  the  bol)ber  on  a  fishing  line  rocks 
in  the  watery  bed  upon  which  it  is  rest- 

Twenty-One 


CANTON 


Good  View  of  Canton  Across  Canton  River 

iiig— always  on  the  alert  and  ready  to 
ilash  the  signal  which  tells  of  a  tentative 
nibble  at  the  hook  below. 

The  steamer  continues  up  the  river 
and,  as  the  sun  finally  shakes  itself  clear 
of  the  horizon  and  steps  out  on  the  roof 

Twenty-  Tiro 


of  the  world,  the  landing  place  comes 
into  view  and  the  passengers  make  ready 
for  their  venture  into  the  unknown  high- 
ways and  byways  of  life  in  the  city  of 
Canton. 

After  a  period  of  maneuvering  along 
the  water  front,  the  steamer — as  if  afraid 
of  crushing  the  smaller  boats  which  clutter 
up  its  path — moves  slowly  into  its  berth; 
the  gangplank  is  thrown  out,  the  passen- 
gers walk  from  the  steamer  and  almost 
immediately  become  engaged  in  what  is 
apparently  a  desperate  light  for  life  and 
security  of  limb. 

A  BATTLE  FOR  LIFE 

N  American  who  has  lived 
in  his  own  country  and 
has    become    accustomed 
to   seeing   the   Chinaman 
as   a   quiet,   unassuming, 
stoical,  and  perhaps  a  ])it 
comi)lacont.  sort  of  a  per- 
son, is  apt  to  be  ai)ruptly 
disillusioned — in  one  respect  at  any  rate — 
when  he  lands  from  the  Hongkong  steamer 
at  the  Canton  wharf.     A  majority  of  the 


CANTON 


Chinese  in  Canton  are  just  what  the  Chi- 
nese one  ordinarily  sees  in  the  United  States 
are  not.  As  Canton  is  dilTerent,  so  the 
Chinese  in  Canton  are  different.  The 
arrival  of  a  steamer  is  usually  the  signal 
for  an  onslaught  by  howling,  cursing  men 
and  boys  who  appear  to  be  either  direct 
descendants  or  near  relatives  of  the  river 
pirates  hiding  along  the  banks  of  the 
Chukiang  River  on  the  road  to  Canton. 
They  come  by  way  of  land  and  they  come 
by  way  of  water.  Some  hop  nim])ly  from 
sampan  to  sampan ;  others  climb  the  rail- 
ing ofTicially  considered  as  being  an  ade- 
quate barrier  against  trespassers.  They 
screech  and  yell  in  such  a  ferocious  manner 
that  the  more  timid  among  the  passengers 
turn  pale  and  wonder  whether  they  have 
survived  the  voyage  from  Hongkong  only 
to  meet  a  greater  danger  in  Canton. 

The  crowd  of  yelling,  half-naked  Clii- 
nese  is  reinforced  by  others  attracted  by 
the  din  which  silences  even  the  brassy 
clatter  of  native  musical  instruments  on 
the  funeral  boats  drifting  along  in  mid- 
stream. 

vSome  of  the  natives  finally  succeed  in 
reaching  the  side  of  the  steamer,  and  as 


Street  in  Canton 

the  passengers,  in  doubtful  mood,  cau- 
tiously walk  down  the  gangplank,  the 
Chinese  fall  uj)on  them,  and  for  a  while  it 
appears  that  a  race  riot  of  respectable 
proportions  is  brewing. 

Twenty-  Three 


CANTON 


Crowds  of  Chinamen  Watching  Passengers  at  Pier, 
Canton 

All  occidental  list  is  douhlrd.  It  falls 
upon  an  oriental  chin.  And  if  the  air 
were  filled  with  shouts  and  yells  a  moment 
ago,  it  is  now  Hooded  with  llie  same. 
The  men  passen^^ers  prepare  to  light  to 
the  last  gasp  for  the  women  and  children — 

Twenty-Four 


their  hearts   being  filled   with   the   same 
ardor  possessed  by  the  berserkers  of  old 
who,  it  is  said,  had  quite  a  reputation  for 
bravery  in  their  time. 

It  is  a  hattle  for  life,  apparently.  The 
travelers  appeal  to  the  ship's  officers  who 
endeavor  to  make  themselves  heard  above 
the  uproar.  But  the  exercise  of  so  many 
vocal  organs  has  temporarily  crippled  the 
sense  of  hearing,  and  the  officers'  words  go 
all  unheeded  by  their  charges. 

Another  occidental  fist  is  d(ml)led, 
and  its  possessor  (a  grim,  red-faced  man 
resembling  a  traveling  salesman)  uses  it 
to  such  good  advantage  that  another 
oriental  is  tumliled  over,  but  is  less  for- 
tunate than  the  first,  inasmuch  as  he  sails 
head  over  heels  into  the  river  and  is  fished 
out  by  a  screaming  fisher  woman  who  vol- 
leys curses  on  the  heads  of  the  excitable 
"foreign  devils." 

'fli(^  score  is  now  two  to  nothing,  the 
occidentals  being  in  the  lead,  and  further 
casualties  are  in  the  ofhiig,  when  a  short 
breathing  spell  enal)les  the  now  hoarse 
ship's  officers  to  make  themselves  heard 
to  the  i)assengers. 


CANTON 


''Stop,"  they  shout.  "Stop!  Don't 
do  that."  And  they  rush  to  the  rescue 
of  a  passenger  engaged  in  an  international 
argument  ^^'ith  tvro  giant  natives.  The 
rescue  is  effected,  and  the  ship's  officers 
turn  to  the  passengers.  ''These  natives 
are  not  cutthroats,  nor  bandits,  nor  river 
pirates,"  they  say,  "but  just  porters  and 
sedan-chair  coolies.  They're  looking  for 
customers,  not  blood." 

The  travelei's,  some  angry  and  some 
a]:)prehensive  before,  now  cast  slieepish 
grins  at  one  another.  The  grim,  red- 
faced  man  (resem])ling  a  traveling  sales- 
man) gives  a  dollar  to  the  native  whom 
he  had  thrown  into  the  river  and  the  first 
casualty  among  the  natives  is  given  a 
similar  amount.  The  peace  is  no  longer 
disturbed. 

The  renewal  of  shouts,  cries,  and  yells 
among  the  porters  and  sedan-chair  coolies, 
a  crash  of  cym])als  from  the  funeral  l)oat 
on  the  river,  and  the  wail  of  a  fisher  woman 
who  has  just  lost  a  catch  of  fish  by  reason 
of  a  broken  net,  signals  the  end  of  the 
battle  for  life  on  the  Chukiang  River  at 
the  port  of  Canton  shortly  after  break 
o'  day. 


ON  SHAMEEN  ISLAND 

T  SEEMS  that  the  porters 
and  sedan-chair  coolies, 
who  so  valiantly  stormed 
the  steamboat  at  the 
landing,  are  to  be  dis- 
appointed after  all,  for 
arrangements  have  been 
made  ^\'ith  the  Victoria 
Hotel  to  send  chairs  and  coolies  for  the 
passengers,  and  the  early  arrivals  among 
the  natives  obtain  only  one  or  two  patrons 
from  the  entire  company  of  travelers  on 
the  ship. 

The  sedan  chairs  from  the  hotel  are 
quickly  occu])ied,  the  porters  take  up  tluMr 
burdens  of  luggage,  and  the  travelers  are 
carried  along  tlie  Bund,  across  a  bridge, 
and  find  tliemselves  on  the  island  of  Sha- 
meen,  wliich  serves  as  a  place  of  residence 
for  a  majority  of  the  foreigners  living  and 
visiting  in  Canton. 

The  island  of  Shameen — "built  on 
sand" — was  constructetl  ])etween  the  years 
18.59  and  1862  by  joint  action  of  the 
British  and  French.  Slightly  less  than 
one-third  of  the  island  is  under  the  control 

Tuenty-Five 


CANTON 


Banyan  Trees  on  Shameen  Island,  Canton 

of  the  French  while  the  remaiiuUn-  is  gov- 
erned hy  the  British. 

Before  the  French  and  British  engi- 
neers l)egan  their  task  of  improving  the 
island  and  making  it  hahitahle  for  foreign- 
ers, Shameen  was  a  low  sand  bank  in  the 

Twenty-Six 


river  and  hardly  in  tne  category  of  places 
fit  for  human  residence.  Bnt  the  inge- 
nuity of  the  engineers  transformed  the 
island  into  a  healthful,  heantiful,  residen- 
tial district,  and  Shameen  is  now  consid- 
ered the  best  section  of  Canton,  although 
as  far  as  the  picturesque  is  concerned  it  is 
surpassed  by  the  native  districts  of  the 
city. 

Shameen  is  well  protected  against  pos- 
si])Ie  attacks  by  bandits  or  river  pirates. 
The  bridges  leading  to  the  island  from  tlie 
mainland  are  guarded  day  and  night, 
while  barbed-wire  entanglements  stand  on 
the  shores,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of 
discouraging  marauders  irom  among  the 
river  population. 

Natives  are  forbidden  to  go  on  the 
island  miless  permission  is  granted  by  the 
British  or  French,  and  the  few  natives 
who  pass  back  and  forth  are  searched  for 
weapons  by  the  guards  at  the  bridges. 
Europeans,  howevei*,  ai'e  seldom  stop])ed 
by  the  sentries. 

Probal)ly  the  best  view  of  Canton  is 
obtainable  from  the  island  of  Shameen, 
and  many  travelers  prefer  to  see  the  city 
from  across  the  river,  rather  than  mingle 


CANTON 


with  the  natives  in  the  hot,  dusty  streets 
or  along  the  narrow  passages  of  water 
M'hich  thread  hoth  the  residential  and 
business  quarters  of  Canton. 

But  the  stranger  who  has  traveled  all 
the  way  from  the  other  side  of  the  world 
to  see  something  of  manners  and  customs 
in  Canton,  does  not  hesitate  to  leave  the 
hotel  in  Shameen,  recross  the  river,  and 
ride  by  sedan  chair  above  the  heads  of  the 
thrones  in  the  streets ;  and  when  his  indi- 
vidual tour  of  inspection  is  completed  he 
can  say  with  truth  that  he  has  had  his 
hand  on  the  heart  of  Canton  and  has  felt 
the  throb  of  life  along  its  narrow  streets 
and  alleys  and  waterways.  In  seeing 
Canton  he  will  have  seen  much  that  is 
typical  of  China — for  the  foreigner  has  not 
gained  the  foothold  here  that  he  has  in 
Hongkong,  and  the  Cantonese,  for  tlie 
most  part,  dress  and  act  and  speak  as  their 
ancestors  did  centuric^s  ago.  Only  most 
of  them  have  discarded  the  cpieue  since 
the  establishment  of  the  Republic,  and  the 
feet  of  the  women  are  not  l)oujid  so  gen- 
eralh'  as  in  the  days  of  the  Empire.  But 
with  very  few  other  changes  the  major 
part    of    the    population    of   Canton    has. 


Figures  Clothed  with  Growing  Plants  in  the  Gardens 

played  a  conservative  part  in  the  game  of 
life,  dis])laying  their  respect  for  their  fore- 
fathers by  doing  as  then-  forefathers  did. 
If  Americans  were  to  follow  the  same  cus- 
tom, we  would  still  be  wearing  powdered 
wigs,  knee  breeches,   embroidered  coats, 

Tuenty-Seven 


CANTON 


ruffles,  buckled  shoes,  and  rapiers;  or 
coonskin  caj)s,  leather  coats,  and  leggings 
with  buckskin  fringes,  moccasins,  and  car- 
rying powder  horns  and  long  squirrel 
rifles — Daniel  Boone  style. 

COFFINS  AND  GONGS 

HE  traveler  steps  into  his 
sedan  chair,  which  is 
promptly  lifted  to  the 
shoidders  of  the  sturdy 
coolies,  and  he  begins  his 
journey  through  the  na- 
tive clistricts  of  Canton 
via  the  same  bridge  over 
which  he  passed  on  his  trip  to  the  island 
of  Shameen. 

Visitors  occasionally  venture  into  Can- 
ton afoot,  but  seldom  repeat  the  experi- 
ence, inasmuch  as  many  of  the  natives 
on  the  streets  are  stripped  to  the  waist, 
and  since  the  pedestrian  is  invariably 
jostled  about  in  the  narrow  streets  he 
finds  his  clothing  the  worse  for  wear  after 
it  has  ])een  in  contact  with  the  bodies  of 
the  half-naked  Chinese. 

Twenty-Eight 


The  change  from  the  wide  thorough- 
fares, shaded  by  tamarind  trees,  of  Sha- 
meen to  the  narrow  evil-smelhng  streets 
and  alleys  of  Canton  is  depressing  for  the 
traveler  sensitive  to  odors:  but  the  trip 
will  have  its  redeeming  features,  for  he 
will  view  sights  more  weird  on  his  journey 
about  that  city  than  he  viewed  on  his 
cruise  up  the  muddy  waters  of  the  Chu- 
kiang  River. 

The  traveler  is  prepared  for  one  of  the 
strangest  of  his  many  experiences  in  this 
city  by  the  Chukiang  River.  Hardly  is 
the  trip  through  the  heart  of  Canton  be- 
gun wlien  it  is  halted  by  the  interruption 
of  traffic  on  the  street  over  which  the 
coolies  are  proceeding,  and  by  the  now 
familiar  clatter  of  gongs  and  the  wail  of 
oriental  voices^ — some  weak,  some  strong, 
some  tearful,  and  some  jo}"fuL 

A  word  of  inquiry  brings  the  answer 
that  a  funeral  procession  is  passing 
througli  the  streets,  that  all  traffic  is 
halted  out  of  respect  for  the  dead.  The 
interruption  of  traffic  appears,  from  an 
American  viewpoint,  to  be  the  only  mark 
of  respect  for  the  dead,  inasmuch  as  the 
mourners  conduct  themselves  in  a  manner 


CANTON 


that  would  he  considered  sacrilegious  in 
an  occidental  country. 

It  apj)ears  that  a  funeral  of  a  promi- 
nent merchant  of  Canton  is  taking  place. 
As  the  procession  comes  into  view  the 
populace  cranes  its  necks  in  morl)id  curi- 
osity, not  hesitating  to  make  critical  re- 
marks ahout  the  appearance  of  the  cofhn, 
the  price  which  must  have  heen  paid  for 
it.  and  so  on. 

Ahead  of  the  hicr  marches  a  Chinese 
hand,  the  memhers  playing  on  all  sorts  of 
alleged  musical  instruments,  whose  value 
is  evidently  determined  hy  the  noises  pro- 
duced through  frenzied  manipulation  of 
the  keys,  slides,  and  strings.  Several  of 
the  handsmen  are  pounding  on  metal 
drums  whose  "music"  suggests  the  din  in 
a  hoiler  factory,  and  every  now  and  then 
the  advance  guard  reluctantly  ahandons 
its  playing  on  the  instrimients  to  let  forth 
hlood-curdling  screeches,  which  send  shiv- 
ers frolicking  up  the  backs  of  the  by- 
standers. 

Several  coolies  come  next  in  the  pro- 
cession, staggering  under  the  weight  of 
great  loads  of  flowers,  whose  fragrance 
drowns,  for  a  m.oment,  the  odor  of  sewage 


Cantonese  Girl 

(lowing  down  the  middle  of  the  street. 
P'ollowing  the  "flower  coolies"  are  others 
bearing  i)latform  affairs  on  which  are 
ari'angcd  trays  of  food,  principal  among 
them  being  one  which  supports  a  whole 
roast  pig,  fat  and  brown.     One  American 

Twenty-Nine 


CANTON 


Leaving  Canton  in  Sedan  Chairs,  China 

spoctutor  remarks  that  lie  will  never, 
never  a":ain  permit  the  serving  of  roast 
pork  at  his  table  on  Christmas  day. 

The  male  relatives  of  the  dead  mer- 
chant are  next  in  line.  The}''  walk  afoot 
and  are  followed  1)V  the  female  relatives 
in  sedan  chairs.  The  first  contin<j;ent  of 
mourners  are  fairly  quiet,  hut  its  Tack  of, 

Thirty 


assistance  in  making  the  welkin  ring  is 
more  than  made  up  for  by  the  ofTicial 
mourners,  who,  although  they  are  only 
interested  in  the  fiuieral  so  far  as  it 
means  the  receipt  of  a  few  cents  in  tlie 
way  of  w^ages,  are  apparently  overcome 
by  grief.  Next  in  line  is  an  embroidered 
canopy,  supported  in  the  hands  of  ten  or 
fifteen  men,  who  appear  to  be  the  pall- 
bearers. Under  the  canopy  is  the  cofTm, 
hidden  from  the  public  gaze  by  side  cur- 
tains which  drop  nearly  to  the  ground. 

Behind  the  canopy  march  the  official 
mourners,  and  the  old  fisher  woman  who 
called  down  the  wrath  of  Heaven  on  the 
heads  of  the  "foreign  devils"  on  the 
steamer  that  morning  would  have  bowed 
her  head  in  shame  had  she  been  there  to 
see  how  her  ability  for  noise  making  was 
surpassed  by  the  absolute  talent,  in  that 
respect,  of  the  official  mourners.  Neither 
the  death  chant  of  the  American  Indians 
nor  the  voodoo  songs  of  the  tribes  of 
darkest  Africa  have  ever  reached  such  a 
pinnacle  of  weird  melancholy  as  the 
funeral  songs  of  Canton,  and  the  traveler 
who  hears  the  professional  mourners  ply 
their  trade  will  have  the  picture  indelibly 


CANTON 


imprinted  on  his  mind,  and  even  after  the 
passage  of  years  will  find  his  ears  ringing 
with  the  sound  (tf  screeching  Chinese 
voices. 

A  numher  of  the  mourners  in  the  pro- 
cession caiTV  towels  of  the  generously 
proportioned,  fuzzy,  Turkish  variety,  and 
use  tliem  to  wipe  away  copious  tears 
which  woidd  otherwise  actually  pour  in 
trickling  streams  on  the  street.  Tiiey  are 
the  finest  kind  of  crocodile  tears. 

■  Ai-ai-ai-e-e-e-e-c-l"  the  mourners 
scream.  And  shed  more  tears,  with  a 
furtive  glance  now  and  then  at  the  pedes- 
trians lining  the  streets — as  if  they  are 
anticipating  something  in  the  way  of 
approval  for  their  excellent  acting. 

The  sound  of  music  from  the  head  of 
the  procession  has  almost  died  away  when 
^  new  chorus  of  rattles,  hangs,  and 
crashes  enlivens  the  spectacle.  More 
necks  are  craned,  and  the  guides  inform 
the  travelers  that  the  end  of  the  funeral 
procession  is  in  sight. 

There  is  a  fanfare  of  drums  and  then 
the  most  unrestrained,  unmusical,  and 
harharic  noise  imaginahle  breaks  out. 
The   traveler  is  reminded   of  the  steam 


Canton,  the  Vast  Metropolis  of  China 

calliope  at  the  end  of  the  circus  parade  at 
home.  The  comparison  is  irreverent,  of 
course;  hut  still,  is  true,  and  that  is  the 
excuse  for  making  it. 

The  din  continues.     It  grows  rather 
than  slackens.     "Gongs!"   remarked   the 

Thirty-One 


CANTON 


collide  improssively.  "Most  glorious  fu- 
neral ! ' '  And  gongs  they  were,  as  the  gnide 
Ixad  said.  Gongs  of  all  sizes  and  descrip- 
tions, most  of  them  made  of  brass  and 
(♦thers,  apparently,  of  tin.  They  were  car- 
ried by  ])ersi)iring  Chinese,  who  stopped 
their  clanging  now  and  then  to  emit  a  most 
ferocioiis  chorus  of  hair-raising  veils. 
'Clang!  Clang!  llattle-rattle!  Bang!" 
The  gong  men,  it  a])peare(l,  were  receiving 
a  generous  wage  on  this  occasion  and  were 
so  grateful  as  to  make  a  brave  effort  to 
earn  their  money. 

Finally,  the  gong  men  passed  in  the 
wake  of  the  funeral  ])roc(>ssion,  followed 
by  one  or  two  moi'e  bands,  and  as  the 
ordinary  activities  of  daily  routine  were 
renewed  and  the  roar  of  trallic  was  once 
more  heard  on  the  streets,  the  guide 
volunteered  the  information  that  the 
corpse  was  being  taken  to  the  "City  of 
Death,"  where,  like  the  corpses  on  the 
river,  it  would  be  kept  until  the  proper 
time  for  burial,  prol)ably  some  months 
ahead.  The  "City  of  Death"— a  most 
interesting  place  to  those  morbidly  in- 
clined will  be  touched  upon  in  a  later 
chapter. 

Thirty-  Tvn 


THE  PASSING  WALLS 

ANTOX,  for  several  cen- 
turies, w^as  surrounded  by 
a  wide,  brick  wall,  near- 
ly six  miles  in  circum- 
ference, surmounted  by 
towers,  and  pierced  at 
intervals  by  gateways, 
through  which  tlie  inland 
traffic  of  the  ages  ebl^ed  and  flowed — • 
never  ceasing  through  the  birth  and  di^ath 
of  generation  after  generation  of  oblique- 
eyed  celestials. 

The  wall  was  erected  on  a  granite  and 
sandstone  foundation ;  its  width  was  about 
30  feet  and  its  height  from  20  to  40  feet. 
The  Cantonese  very  probably  breathed  a 
sigh  of  rehef  after  the  comnletion  of  the 
wall,  for  then,  they  thouglit,  their  city 
would  be  adequately  protected  against 
the  depredations  of  the  Manchu  armies 
enviously  looking  down  from  the  north  at 
this  prosperous  city  in  the  south  of  China. 
But  the  wall,  despite  its  appearance  of 
solidity  and  strength,  did  not  keep  the 
Manchus  from  capturing  Canton  in  l()o2 — 
somewhat  over  a  century  after  its  com- 


CANTON 


j)leti()iK  and,  in  the  resulting  battle 
within  the  city,  there  were  scenes  enacted 
which,  in  comparison,  make  the  atrocities 
in  European  wars  appear  as  the  frolicking 
of  children.  Over  100,000  Cantonese- 
men,  women,  children,  and  smooth-faced 
bahies — were  massacred  by  the  invading 
armies,  and  trathtion  relates  that  the 
screams  of  the  victims  as  they  fell  before 
the  swords  and  spears  of  the  conquerors 
were  as  the  sound  of  the  winds  shrieking 
through  the  passes  of  a  mighty  mountain, 
so  many  there  were  who  abandoned  their 
earthly  bodies  in  the  same  moment. 

Wliile  the  walls  around  Canton  re- 
mainetl  in  existence  until  some  centuries 
after  the  city  was  stormed  by  the  Man- 
clius,  it  M'as  never  considered  an  adequate 
(h'fense  ao;ainst  determined  and  organized 
attack.  In  later  years  it  was  tolerated 
more  for  its  picturesqueness  and  its  use- 
fuhiess  against  raids  by  pirates  than  for 
its  value  iji  case  of  a  major  onslaught. 

Several  years  a^o  the  greater  portion 
of  the  Canton  wall  was  razed  and  its 
foundation  converted  into  boulevards, 
the  action  marking  one  of  the  striking 
features  of  present-day  progress  in  Cliina. 


Old  Wall,  Canton  (now  demolished) 

Here  and  there  along  the  l)Oulevards 
the  traveler  sees  the  crumbling  ruins  of 
gates  and  towers,  with  heaps  of  jagged 
rock  showing  above  the  surface  of  the 
earth  to  mark  the  location  of  the  wide 

Thirty-  Three 


CANTON 


wall,  once  the  hope,  and  ultimately  the 
despair  of  the  defenders  of  Canton. 

Nearly  every  old  Chinese  city  has  its 
\\'all.  Many  of  them  are  more  or  less 
famous,  but  the  most  famous  is  the 
'Great  Wall  of  Qiina,"  which  origi- 
nally extended  for  a  distance  of  over 
1,500  miles  across  the  Chinese  Empire 
and  resembled,  in  the  distance,  a  huge 
serpent  stretching  its  length  as  far  as  the 
eve  could  see — from  one  horizon  to  the 
other.  The  "Great  Wall"  was  built  as  a 
d(»f(Mise  against  the  Manchu  armies  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  but,  as  with  the 
Canton  wall,  proved  of  little  avail  against 
the  determined  advance  of  the  conquering 
troops. 

Since  the  rise  of  the  Manchu  dvnasty, 
in  1644,  the  "Great  Wall"  has  fallen  into 
decay,  exc(^pt  at  a  immber  of  points  where 
it  is  maintained  as  an  aid  to  the  customs' 
service.  The  wall  is  about  22  feet  high, 
20  feet  thick,  with  40-foot  towers  at  inter- 
vals of  several  lunuh'ed  yards.  It  is  com- 
posed of  a  brick  or  granite  casing  filled 
witli  earth  and  covered  with  a  surface  of 
bricks  embedded  in  lime. 

Tliirtij-Four 


The  "Great  Wall"  follows  a  more  or 
less  irregular  course  over  mountains  and 
hills,  through  valleys,  and  over  plains. 
The  wall  is  still  intact  for  scores  of  miles, 
although  here  and  there  some  of  the 
towel's  have  disappeared  and  the  brick 
facing  has  fallen  away,  giving  the  wall 
the  venerable  appearance  of  ancient  ruins. 

In  the  third  century  B.  C,  between 
1,500  and  2,000  yeai-s  before  the  days  of 
the  "Great  Wall,"  a  system  of  earthworks 
was  raised  along  approximately  the  same 
route  as  that  followed  by  the  wall.  The 
earthworks  were  used  l)y  the  (liinese  in 
defending  their  country  against  the  Tartar 
hordes  and,  tradition  relates,  served  as  a 
fairly  adequate  means  of  defense  until 
replaced  by  the  "Great  Wall." 

Many  of  the  walls  surrounding  the 
cities  of  China  are  passing,  just  as  those 
formerly  around  the  city  of  Canton,  and 
with  the  lapse  of  years  it  is  expected 
the  greater  number  of  the  ancient  and 
medieval  structures  will  be  torn  down,  to 
li\-e  only  in  the  nuMuories  of  t]ios(>  Chinese 
who  mourn  the  passing  of  the  old  order 
of  things. 


CANTON 


CELESTUL  TEMPLES 

jROBABLY  the  most  nota- 
ble temple  of  the  400  or 
more  in  the  city  is  the 
Temple  of  the  Five  Hun- 
dred Gods,  or  Wa  Tarn 
Tsz,  in  the  western  sub- 
urbs, where  natives  have 
worshiped  beyond  the 
memory  of  the  most  wrinkled  coolie  in 
the  streets  of  Canton.  The  temple  is 
fashioned  after  the  approved  style  of 
arcliitecture  in  China,  with  roofs  and  cor- 
nices whicli  ajipear  to  be  strangely  warped 
l>y  the  weatlier,  but  which,  of  course,  are 
formed  that  way  by  the  builders. 

There  are  numbers  of  idols  in  the 
Temple  of  the  Five  Hundred  Gods,  many 
of  them  arranged  in  prim  rows  along  the 
walls,  most  of  them  with  hands  compla- 
cently folded;  some  with  oriental  faces, 
others  with  countenances  wliich  would  be 
countenanced  by  few  nations;  some  with 
beards,  others  with  smooth  jowls;  some 
grave  and  dignified,  othei-s  smihng  enig- 
matically with  their  stone  lips;  all  clad 
in  flowing  robes  of  stone. 


A.. 


.^.M 


A  Small  Temple  Near  Whampoa  Pagoda,  Canton 

De\'otees,  while  visiting  the  temple, 
purchase  lighted  punk  sticks  from  the 
priests  and  place  the  sticks  in  front  of  the 
idols,  laugliing  and  talking  all  the  whUe, 
api>arently  never  aware  of  theii-  sacri- 
legious   conduct^sacrilegious    from     the 

Thirty- Fire 


CANTON 


The  Chun-Ka-Che  Ancestral  Hall,  Canton 

Western     j)()iiit,    of    view.      In     fact,   tlu 
Cliinese    idea    of    propriety    is    often    the 

Thirty-Six 


American  and  European  idea  of  im- 
propriety, and  vice  versa.  Witness  tlie 
custom  of  laughing  and  talking  \vhile  at 
worship:  the  burying  of  the  dead  with  an 
accompaniment  of  wild  outbursts  of 
deafening  music,  and  the  practice  of  eating 
cockroaches  in  honey  and  snakes  in  broth. 
Canton  is  indeed  a  most  unbelievable 
city,  where  the  ya^nling,  sleepy-eyed  trav- 
eler finds  himself  yawning  and  sleepy-eyed 
no  longer,  but  as  wide-eyed  as  the  small 
bo}'  at  a  circus. 

The  Chinese  in  Canton  as  a  rule  seldom 
take  the  question  of  worship  in  the  tem- 
ples as  seriously  as  they  might,  and  many 
of  the  buildings  have  fallen  into  disre- 
pair, the  courtyards  and  ponds  being 
filled  with  rubbish  and  the  interiors  of 
the  temples  bein<(  furnished  with  sliabby, 
soiled  fixtures — all  in  striking  contrast  with 
the  dignity  and  neatness  of  American 
churches. 

Few  natives  visit  the  temples.  Most 
of  those  who  do  place  food  and  buin 
prayer  papers  and  punk  on  tlie  altars. 
The  prayer  paper,  it  seems,  is  supposed  to 
take  the  place  of  sj^cdvcn  prayers,  and  the 
natives    have    considerable    faith    in    the 


CANTON 


ofTicacv  of  tliis  particular  dovico,  thereby 
showing  another  cf  tlie  countless  differ- 
ences between  the  customs  of  orientals 
and  occidentals.  Imagine  an  American 
clergyman  burning  a  piece  of  paper  in 
place  of  reading  his  Bible! 

One  of  the  most  jiretentious  temples  in 
and  near  Canton  is  the  Buddhist  struc- 
ture, known  as  lloi-tung-tsz,  on  the  island 
of  Ilonan.  The  grounds  cover  an  area  of 
five  acres,  are  divided  into  numerous 
courts,  and  peopled  by  scores  of  Bud- 
dhist priests. 

Tlio  Temj^le  of  the  Five  Genii,  or  Ng- 
sen-kwan,  on  Great  Market  Street;  the 
Temple  of  Longevity,  or  Chung-shan-tsz, 
in  the  western  suburbs;  and  the  ancestral 
temples  of  the  Chen  and  the  Chun-ka-che 
families,  are  prominent  among  tlie  places 
of  worship  in  Canton.  The  Chen  temple 
is  better  kept  than  most  of  the  temples  in 
Canton,  wliile  the  Chun-ka-cho  t(^mj)l(v 
just  outside  the  city  proper,  is  one  of  t\io, 
most  imposing  buildings  of  its  kind  in  all 
(Miina. 

Besides  the  temples  there  are  numer- 
ous pagodas  in  Canton,  including  the  Five- 


I  lie  Iliiwir  Pagoda,  Canton 

Stori(Hl  Pagoda,  or  Chen-hoi-tan.  and  the 
Wa-tap.  or  octagonal  flower  pagoda,  wliich 
stands  in  one  of  the  most  pleasing  and 
restful  |)laces,  from  the  occidental  view- 
point, in  the  city. 

Thirly-Seven 


CANTON 


THE  CITY  OF  DEATH 

OMBINING  temple,  ceme- 
tery, and  morgue,  the 
''Cityof  Deatli.'^or"The 
City  of  the  Dead,"  as  it 
is  variously  known  in 
Canton,  is  one  of  the 
strangest  of  the  many 
strange  ])la<'es  in  this 
amazing  capital  of  the  province  of  Kwang- 
tung,  CTiina. 

There  are  scores  and  sometim(^s  liun- 
dreds  of  dead  })()dies  in  cofhns  placed  in 
stalls  arranged  along  narrow  aisles,  which, 
in  turn,  are  flanked  by  altars;  banners  in- 
scribed with  Chinese  diameters;  pa])er 
creations  of  many  sizes  and  shap(^s,  coated 
with  gilt;  p()rc(^lain  jars,  and  masses  of 
flowers  whose  lieavy  odor  makers  the  air 
seem  sickish  sweet. 

Some  of  the  bodies  have  been  in  the 
"City  of  Deatli"  for  weeks,  some  for 
months,  and  some  even  for  years.  The 
sojourn  of  the  dead  in  this  OTuesome  place 
is  determined,  evidently,  oy  the  wealth 
of  the  respective  relatives  or  friends  who 
are  called  upon  by  priests  and  sorcerers 

Thirty-Eight 


to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  keeping  the 
bodies  in  the  stalls  of  the  ''City  of  Deatli." 

The  time  for  removal  of  the  bodies 
from  the  "City  of  Death"  is  decided  upon 
by  the  priests  after  solemn  consultations. 
The  time  arrives,  usually,  when  either  the 
purse  or  the  patience  of  the  dead  person's 
family  is  exhausted.  One  traveler  relates 
that  he  viewed  a  cofRn  containing  a  man- 
darin's body  wliicli  had  been  placed  in 
one  of  the  stalls  immediately  after  death 
seven  years  before  and  had  since  remained 
there  in  charge  of  the  Chinese  priests. 

There  is  no  more  morbid,  unnatural 
place  in  tlie  world  than  the  "City  of 
Death"  in  Canton,  unh^ss  it  be  the  cata- 
combs under  l^aiis,  whei-e  th^e  boiu^s  of  six 
millions  ol'  i^eophi  are  buried;  or  the  ghoul- 
ish room  in  tlu^  European  church,  so  gra])h- 
ically  descril)cd  by  Mark  Twain,  where  the 
walls  are  decorated  with  skulls  and  delicate 
frescoes  made  from  human  finger  bones 
and  where  niclu^s  in  the  walls  are  occupied 
bymumniilied  bodies  of  men  long  dead. 

Prol)ably  th^  lK)dies  of  the  dead  would 
not  I'cmain  in  this  combination  of  temple, 
morgue,  and  cemetery  in  Canton  for  so 
long,  if   some    arrangements   were   made 


CANTON 


whereby  tho  native  priests  and  sorcerers 
could  ])e  kept  from  both  collecting  the 
lont  and  deciding  the  ''favorable"  time 
for  regular  burial.  But  so  long  as  the 
keepers  of  the  "City  of  Death"  are  al- 
lowed to  receive  the  tainted  "rent  money/' 
just  so  lon^  will  the  bodies  of  the  dead — 
with  wealtliy  relatives — continue  to  re- 
l^ose  undisturbed  in  their  stalls  along  the 
naiTow  aisles — flanked  by  altars,  banners, 
porcelain  jars,  and  flowers — of  the  ''City 
of  Death." 

The  people  of  Canton  are  persuaded 
to  place  their  dead  in  the  ''City  of  Death" 
because  they  believe  in  doing  so  they  will 
|)lease  the  spirits  whicli  might  otherwise 
bring  harm  to  the  loved  one  who  has 
joined  the  'silent  multitude."  And  this 
brings  us  naturally  to  the  religions  of  tlic 
country. 

China  is  a  land  of  five  religions — Con- 
fucianism. Taoism.  Buddhism.  Mohamme- 
danism, and  also  Christianity,  which 
gained  a  foothold  in  the  country  over  a 
thousand  years  ago  and  has  recently  made 
raj^id  progress  because  of  the  devoted,  un- 
tiring labors  of  the  missionaries  of  all 
Christian  churches  in  China. 


Ancient  Stone  Guardian  of  Five-Story  Pagoda 

Confucianism.  Taoism,  and  Buddhism, 
in  order  named,  are  far  ahead  of  the  others 
in  China,  however,  mainly  because  their 
philosophies — at  the  present  time — appeal 
most  strongly  to  the  Chinese  nature,  and 
also  because  they  have  a  start  of  centuries 
over  other  religions  in  China. 

TIn'rtii-Nhie 


CANTON 


Cantonese  Girls  on  Bund 

With  Coiifuciunisin,  Taoism,  and  Bud- 
dhism there  is  a  shari)ly  defined  l)olief  in , 

Fori)/ 


good  and  evil  spirits,  and  those  who  em- 
brace the  three  religions  believe  it  is  neces- 
sary— for  tlieir  o^^'n  good — to  propitiate 
both  good  and  (nnl  s|)irits  for  the  pm-poso 
of  keeping  a  l)alanco  l)etwcen  them. 

Ancestor  worshi]),  which  involves  the 
(piestion  of  a])peasing  l^oth  good  and  evil 
spirits,  is  regarded  as  being  the  main- 
spring of  China's  religious  life,  while  Con- 
fucianism serves  as  a  moral  code,  and 
Buddliism  and  Taoism  furnish  the  "rit- 
uals or  outward  forms  of  ol^servance." 

An  interesting  ])hase  of  Buddliism  is 
the  stan(hirds  its  devotees  must  u))hold 
''if  tlu^y  are  to  live  happily  in  anotlior 
life."  The  Hxg  great  commandments  of 
Buddhism  prohibit  "killing,  stealing, 
adultery,  lying,  and  drunkenness."  Bud- 
dhists must  also  maintain  the  ''ri^ht  view, 
right  jud<;ment,  right  language,  ri^jht  ]nn'- 
pose,  right  profession,  right  application, 
right  memory,  and  rigiit  meditation." 
Other  virtues  especially  commended  by 
the  Buddhist  religion  are  "almsgiving, 
purity,  patience,  c()urag(v  charity,  con- 
templation, and  knowledg(\" 

The  progress  of  Christianity  in  China 
was   slow   for    nianv   centuries,    but    the 


CANTON 


West  on  Central  Promenade,  Place  of  Foreign 
Legations 

patience  and  pei-scverance  of  the  mis- 
sionaries have  had  tlieir  effect,  and  the 
well-known  ''heathen  Chinee"  is  not  such 
a  heatli(>n  as  in  former  years. 

Christianity  was  introduced  into  China 
in  the  sixth  century.     The  Jesuit  fathers, 


Shappat  l*<)  Street,  Where  European  Shops  Are  Found, 

Canton 
Kuggiaro  and  Ricci,  went  to  Asia  in  1579 
and  loSl.  A  Protestant  mission,  h<d  by 
Robert  Morrison,  landed  at  Canton  Sep- 
tember, 1807.  According  to  the  latest 
estimates  the  Roman  CathoHc  Church 
has  1,363,697  converts,  59  bishops,  1,426 

Forty-One 


CANTON 


Chinese  Mother  and  Child 

foi-cign  and  701  native  priests  in  China, 
while  the  Protestants  have  about  325,000 
converts  in  China. 

One  of  the  principal  niissions  in  Canton 
is    the    Canton   Christian   College,    main- 

Ferty-Two 


tained  by  the  American  Union  Missions. 
The  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  stands  in 
Canton  proper,  and  the  .Vnglican  chapel 
on  the  island  of  Shameen.  Seminaries 
and  schools  are  supported  in  Canton  by 
the  American  Baptist  and  rr(>sl)vterian 
Churches.  The  Y.  }\.  C.  A.  building  on 
the  Bund — the  main  thoroughfare,  run- 
ning along  the  water  front — was  erected 
as  a  memorial  to  Robert  >\rorrison.  the 
first  Protestant  missionary  in  Canton. 

"RATS,  CATS,  AND " 

ERY  pr()l)ably  the  credulity 
of  the  r(vi(l(^r  has  been 
sorely  tried  at  times  in 
the  reading  of  previous 
chapters,  for,  haA'iug  lived 
the  fairly  w(41-ordered  life 
of  the  occidental,  he  finds 
it  dillicult  to  believe  in 
the  authenticity  of  some  of  the  incidents 
intended  to  show  something  of  manners 
and  customs  in  Canton.  In  the  present 
chapter  his  faith  will  possi])ly  l)e  even 
more  sorely  tried,  and  perhaps  his  cre- 
dulity will  turn  to  incredulity,  because  this 


CANTON 


is  the  strangest  and  most  unbelievable 
chapter  of  them  all.  Still,  he  may  accept 
(he  customs  described  in  the  following — 
as  well  as  those  described  in  the  preceding 
chapters — as  the  entire  truth,  for  that  is 
what  they  are.  Canton ,  surely,  has  earned 
the  name  of  "Canton  the  Unbelievable!" 

This  chapter  has  to  do  with  the 
culinary  tastes  of  the  Cantonese.  One 
thing  which  surprises  the  traveler  in 
Canton  is  that  chop  suey  and  other  pre- 
sumably native  Chinese  dishes  are  not 
native  (Hiinese  dishes  at  all,  but  concoc- 
tions ])repared  by  Chinese  restaurants  in 
the  Occident  and  intended  almost  solely 
for  .Vmerican  and  European  consumption. 
The  percentage  of  the  people  in  Canton 
who  eat  chop  suey  is  prol)ably  not  as 
great  as  the  percentage  of  occidentals  ' 
who  eat  it  in  their  o^ai  countries. 

In  all  probai)ility  the  foods  most  fa- 
vored— hi  Canton  at  any  rate — would 
find  little  favor  with  any  iVmcrican,  and 
were  the  Chinese  restaurants  in  the 
United  States  to  serve  food  most  highly 
relished  by  many  of  the  Cantonese,  they 
would  find  themselves  without  patrons  in 
short    order.     And    so    for    that    reason, 


Imperial  Post  Office,  Canton 

peihaps,  the  Chinese  restaurant  keepei's 
in  the  United  States  are  justified  in  in- 
venting their  special  preparations  and 
serving  them  to  trustful  Americans,  who 
labor  under  the  delusion  that  they  are 
dhiing  on  native  Chinese  foods. 

Forty-  Three 


CANTON 


A  Fuchow  Maid  on  the  Bund,  Canton 

The  reader  lias  already  learned  that 
cockroaches  in  honey  and  snr.kes  in  ])roth 
are  favorite   foods    with  some   classes   of 

Forty- Four 


people  in  Canton,  but  these  strange 
dishes  are  not  the  only  ones  of  their  kind 
enjoyed  by  the  Cantonese.  Rats,  cats, 
and  young  dogs  are  highly  prized  by  epi- 
cureans of  one  class  or  another  in  Canton; 
and  so  the  old  jingle  about  ''Rats,  cats, 
and  puppy-dog  tails"  is  not  very  much 
amiss  when  applied  to  Canton. 

In  recent  years  rat  eating  has  been  for- 
bidden in  Canton,  since  the  authorities 
have  come  to  realize  that  the  creatures 
spread  several  dang(n'ous  diseases,  the 
most  dread  among  them  l)eing  the  bubonic 
plague;  but  even  now,  many  of  the  people 
ni  the  lower  classes  find  it  impossible  to 
resist  the  temptation  offered  l)y  the  sight 
of  fat,  gray  rats,  and  go  ahead  and  eat 
them  despite  all  laws  and  regulations  to 
the  contrary. 

The  upper  classes  never  favoretl  the 
commion  gray  rat  particularly,  but  ate  a 
species  of  field  rat^quite  different  from 
the  other  kind  and  declared  to  be  most 
appetizing.  However,  the  practice  of 
rat  eating  is  not  so  general  in  China  as 
formerly.  As  a  rule,  it  is  indulged  in 
only  by  people  who  can  not  afford  other 
kinds  of  meat. 


CANTON 


Young  dogs  and  old  cats  are  still 
relished  by  tlie  Cantonese,  who  value 
them  as  lelicacies  suited  to  the  most 
jKirticular  palate,  and  the  lives  of  dogs 
are  as  insecure  in  the  city  as  the  lives  of 
dogs  in  Indian  camps  during  times  of 
famine,  while  many  a  cat  has  sung  its 
midnight  song  on  a  Chinese  fence  and 
gone  to  make  a  Chinese  stew  before  the 
night  again  succeeds  the  day. 

Despite  the  popularity  of  rats,  cats, 
and  dogs  as  food  in  Canton,  there  is 
another  creature  whos(>  flesh  is  considered 
as  ])eing  even  more  delicious  ])y  many  of 
the  nativ(>s,  both  high  and  low  caste, 
and  that  creature  is  the  snake,  which  has 
been  mentioned  in  previous  chapt(>rs. 
Some  of  the  Cantonese  prefer  to  have  the 
snakes  served  in  broth,  while  others  prefer 
them  roasted  to  a  crisp.  It  is  a  moot 
question  among  travelers  as  to  which 
style  of  cooking  is  most  highly  favored  by 
the  natives.  Xonpoisonous  snakes  are 
the  most  popular,  the  finest  specimens 
hrino-ino;  ss  or  S9  in  the  markets. 

The  people  of  Canton  understand  per- 
fectly well  the  gastric  qualms  of  occi- 
dentals who  hear  of  some  of  the  favorite 


The  Old  Executioner  and  If  is  Knife,  I-xecution  Grounds 
Canton 

Chinese   dishes;  hut   they   do   not   permit 
such  gastric  qualms  to  change  their  eating 

Forty- Five 


CANTON 


Government  Officials  who  Coin  China's  Fifty-cent  Silver 
Dollars,  Imperial  Mint  Gardens,  Canton 

habits.  "Some  Anioricau  and  European 
foods  are  as  revolting  to  us  as  snakes, 
dogs,  and  cats — as  food — are  to  you," 
they  say,  "and  there  is  no  more  reason 
why    wo    should    deny    ourselves     these 

Forty-Six 


culinary  dainties  than  you  should  deny 
yourselves  your  favorite  dish(>s  because 
thev  niay  happen  to  l)e  out  of  harmony 
with  our  sense  of  tastes." 

IDOLS  AND  POTTERY 

|AXTOX,  besides  bt'ing  one 
of  the  strangest  cities  in 
the  Orient,  from  the  trav- 
eler's viewpoint,  is  also 
one  of  the  pi'incipal  manu- 
facturing cities  of  the 
counti'v.  A  majority  of 
the  in.lustries  in  Canton 
are  carried  on  by  the  75  or  SO  trade  guilds, 
some  of  whom  have  entire  districts  devoted 
to  tiie  proihiction  of  their  respective  wares. 
The  outj)ut  of  the  Canton  trade  guilds 
includes  humh"eds  of  articles  of  UKTchan- 
dis>',  ]-anging  from  idols  to  ])()ttery,  and 
running  the  whole  ganuit  of  export  goods  — 
from  hair,  silk,  (Mnbroitleri(>s,  jade,  carved 
woods,  candied  ginger,  and  other  Chinese 
sweetmeats,  to  fans  and  lacfjuer  ware. 

The  district  of  the  l)lackwood-cutters' 
guild  ofTei-s  one  of  the  most  interesting 
sights  in  Canton.  Few  travelei-s  ever 
visit  the  city  without  directing  their  sedan- 


CANTON 


chair  coolic^s  to  carry  them  along  Yiick 
Tszo  and  Tai-son-kai  Streets,  and  the  Ohl 
Factory  (Hstrict  where  most  of  the  shops 
in  tlie  guihl  are  located. 

Solenm  Cliinamen  squat  in  front  of 
partially  completed  idols,  whose  mys- 
terious faces  are  hardly  more  strange  than 
th(^  saffron  countenances  of  their  makers. 
The  idol  carvere,  after  putting  the  finish- 
ing touches  on  the  images,  cover  them 
with  gold  leaf  or  gilt,  and  dispose  of  them 
to  native  purchasers,  and  sometimes  to 
souvenir-seeking  foreigners. 

Natives  engaged  in  turning  out  ca])i- 
nets,  chairs,  l)uffets,  tahles,  and  other 
articles  of  the  sort,  will  tell  the  visitor — 
with  iliokers  of  pride  in  their  usually  ex- 
pressionless faces — that  their  ancestors 
worked  in  the  same  shop,  making  the  same 
kind  of  articles,  long  before  the  "foreign 
devils"  ever  came  to  China.  Wlien  the 
faltering  hand  of  an  aged  father  dropped 
the  carving  tools,  leaving,  say,  an  idol  or  a 
chair  half  completed,  the  youthful  hand 
of  his  son  would  pick  up  the  carving  tools, 
and  the  son  would  cany  on  the  work 
wlier(>  his  father  left  off — just  as  his 
father  carried  on  the  work  after  his  grand- 


fatlun-,  and  his  grandfather  carried  on  the 
work  after  his  great  grandfather,  and  so 
on  down  through  the  centuries.  It  is  a 
fatalistic,  initiative-destroying  custom — 
typical  of  the  strange  manners  and  cus- 
touis  of  old  China. 

Buddhist  images  and  pi<'ture  frames 
are  sold  in  Siu-sen-kai ;  ivory  and  turquoise 
goods  in  Tai-sen-kai,  Yuen-sek-hong,  and 
Yuk-tsz-hong;  sandalwood  products  in 
Hou-pun-kai;  feather  fans  and  embroider- 
ies in  Chong-yuen-f ong ;  sandalwood  prod- 
ucts and  porcelain  in  Sen-tau-lan;  and 
ivory,  lacquer  ware,  and  silver  vessels  in 
Sai-hing-kai. 

Pottery  manufactured  in  Canton  is 
exported  to  neai'ly  every  country  in  the 
world,  and  doubtless  many  of  the  Ameri- 
cans and  Em'opeans  visiting  the  city  ate 
their  pon-idge  or  bread  and  milk  from 
dishes  made  in  Canton  before  the}^  were 
old  enough  to  know  there  was  such  a  city. 

The  Cantonese  make  many  kinds  of 
pottery,  from  the  delicately  designed  egg- 
shell variety  to  the  stm'dy  sort  designed 
for  us(^  in  restaurants  and  nurscuies  (\\-nere 
an  al)ility  to  stand  hard  knocks  is  one  of 
the  qualities  most  desired  in  dishes). 

Forty-Seven 


CANTON 


Missionary  Children  and  One  American  Girl,  Canton 

The  soft  clay  is  jnodolcd  into  ninneroiis 
designs,  peculiarly  and  quaintly  oriental. 
The  utensils  are  baked  to  a  stone  hardness 
in  red-hot  kilns,  after  which  they  are 
painted  with  many  colors,  ])lue  and  red 
predominating,    and    then    baked    again 

Forty -Eight 


until  the  colors  are  firmly  attached  to  the 
pottery.  Probably  the  best  pottery  shops 
in  Canton  are  in  the  Sha-kee-tai-kai  dis- 
trict, near  the  island  of  Shameen. 

THE  CHINESE  FLEET 

HILE  the  Chinese  ileet,  in 
the  minds  of  many  people 
not  acquainted  with  tlie 
astonishing  progress  made 
in  China  during  the  past 
few  years,  is  as  nonexist- 
ent as  the  nayy  of  Swit- 
zerland, the  traveler  in 
China  finds  that  the  Government  niain- 
tains  a  small,  but  quite  ellicient,  force  of 
ships,  manned  by  highly  intelligent  and 
fairly  well-trained  native  sailoi"s. 

During  the  rule  of  the  Maiichu  dynasty 
each  province  controlled  its  own  navy  and 
worked  independently  of  the  central  Gov- 
ernment; but,  with  the  formation  of  the 
Republic,  a  reorganization  was  effected, 
and  in  August,  1912,  the  Chinese  fieet 
was  ])lace(l  under  the  control  of  the 
Ministry  of  the  Navy. 

The  Government  hoped,  by  bringing 
about    an    amaliramation    of    the    naval 


CANTON 


units,  to  evolve  a  navy  capahle  of  dealing 
with  domestic  as  well  as  loreign  quarrels. 
It  also  planned  to  increase  the  efficiency  of 
the  navy  by  sending  cadets  abroad — 
especially  to  the  Ignited  States  and  Eng- 
land— for  the  purpose  of  training  them  in 
the  methods  of  modern  naval  warfare. 

"The  number  of  the  personnel  of  the 
Navy,"  says  the  Statesman's  Yearbook, 
"can  not  he  stated  exactly.  Experience 
proves  that  the  Chinese  ])luejackets,  with 
training  and  discipline,  can  rank  with 
any  bluejackc^ts  in  the  world."  In  1916, 
according  to  the  China  Yearbook,  there 
were  20  gunl)oats,  ranging  from  300  to 
l,r)00  tons,  in  the  Chinese  fleet;  and  also 
11  torpedo  boats,  ranging  from  26  to 
50  tons,  and  2  transports  of  700  and 
1,700  tons,  respectively. 

The  Chinese  Navy  is  now  mainly  under 
the  control  of  the  Peking  Government — 
although  some  of  the  ships  give  their  loy- 
alty to  the  Government  at  Canton — an( 
very  frequently  travelers  on  the  Chukiang 
River  are  given  the  novel  i)rivilege  of 
viewing  a  Cliincse  war  vessel,  manned  by 
Chinese  sailors,  and  commanded  by  Chi- 
nese officers,  sailing  up  a  Chinese  river. 


Victoria  Hotel,  Canton 

Frequently  the  warshii)s  cruise  up  and 
down  the  stream  in  search  of  pirates,  and 
after   a   taste   or   two   of  Chinese   shell — 

Fort  u-N  VIC 


CANTON 


Grim  Executioner  Taking  Head  to  Exhibit  as  a 
Warning,  Canton 

which  of  course  hurts  as  much  when  it 
hits  as  American  or  Enghsh  or  any  other 
shell — the  ])irates  are  only  too  glad  to 
seek  refuge  among  the  hills  and  swamps. 
The  pirates  captured  on  such  expeditions 

Fifty 


are  usually  taken  to  Canton  and  beheaded 
by  the  official  executioners. 

During  the  reign  of  the  Empress  Hsi- 
Tai-Hou,  the  Government  appropriated 
S50,000,000  for  the  building  of  ships  for 
the  Chinese  fleet.  Tradition  relates  that 
instead  of  using  the  money  for  the  pur- 
pose intended,  the  Empress  built  a  magnifi- 
cent summer  palace,  easing  her  conscience, 
in  her  own  way,  by  building  a  marble 
boat  near  the  palace. 

WATI  AND  HONAN 

jATI,  a  subiu'b  of  Canton, 
standing  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Chukiang 
River,  contains  among 
other  industries  a  ship- 
building plant,  where  sam- 
gans  and  other  native 
hinese    craft    are    built 


M. 

jf 

~. 

for  use  by  the  river  population  of  Canton. 
The  city  of  Honan,  really  a  section  of 
Canton,  stands  on  an  island  of  the  same 
name  rising  from  the  CMiukiang  River 
near  Shameen  and  Namkwan.  llonan 
has  a  population  of  about  100,000  peoi)le, 
most  of  them  natives,  employed  in  small 


CANTON 


factories,  shops,  warehouses,  in  the  ship- 
yards— whore  sampans,  small  and  large 
steamers  are  built — and  in  the  river  tracle. 

Wati  and  Ilonan  are  hoth  as  old  as  Can- 
ton, because  Chinese  legends  tell  of  the  two 
islands  being  settled  at  about  the  same 
time  Canton  was  founded  by  the  Cliinese. 

Canton,  itself,  is  known  as  the  'Tity 
of  Rams,"  because  of  the  ancient  legend 
which  claims  that  its  founders — five 
Genii,  clad  in  garments  of  five  colors, 
rode  through  the  air  on  five  rams,  each 
bearing  five  varieties  of  grains,  which  they 
presented  to  the  people  of  Canton  upon 
their  arrival  in  the  vdlage  or  settlement. 

'  'Canton' '  is  the  English  mispronuncia- 
tion of  "Kwangtung" — the  ))rovincc  in 
which  the  port  is  located.  The  real 
Chinese  name  for  the  city  is  ''Kwong 
Chow,"  the  name  dating  back  to  the 
period  of  the  three  states,  220-280  A.  1). 
Before  that  time  Canton  was  known  as 
"Nam  Hoi." 

Canton  was  incorporated  into  the 
Empire  of  China  during  the  dynasty  of 
Chin-Chi-Wong,  the  Emperor  who  l)uilt 
the  Great  Wall  and  burned  the  Chinese 
classics  in  218  B.  C. 


CLIPPER-SHIP  DAYS 

N  THE  early  days  of  the 
last  century,  when  the 
American  merchant 
marme  sailed  in  the  first 
rank  of  the  trading  fleets 
of  the  world,  largely  be- 
cause of  the  porfection  to 
which  tlie  clipper  ship  had 
been  brought  by  shipbuilders  and  de- 
signers. Canton  was  the  destination  of  hun- 
dreds of  sailing  vessels  from  the  United 
States  and  other  countries. 

American  clipper  ships  sailed  from  the 

f)orts  of  Boston,  Salem,  and  New  York  — 
aden  with  cotton  goods  and  other  Ameri- 
can products  proceeded  through  the 
Straits  of  Magellan  to  the  Pacific  Coast, 
where  they  traded  their  cargoes  for  furs, 
and  sometimes  stopped  at  Hawaii  where 
they  traded  their  cargoes  for  sandalwood. 

Sandalwood  and  furs,  prized  by  theChi- 
nese,  were  taken  in  the  clipper  ships  across 
the  Paeific  to  Canton,  and  tnere  exchanged 
for  silk  and  tea.  The  voyage  usually  re- 
quired two  or  three  years,  and  when  the 
clipper  ships  returned  to  their  respective 

Fi/ty-One 


CANTON 


Examination  Hall     Rows  of  12.000  Cells— Where  the 
Ku-Yan  Tuenneal  Examinations  Occur,  Canton 

ports,  and  their  cargoes  of  tea  and  silk  were 
disposed  of,  the  owners  often  found  they 
had  made  a  fortune  on  tlie  singk>  vo^'age. 
Prosperity  came  to  American  ports  as 
well  as  to  Canton  (hn'ing  tlie  days  of  the 
fast  cli[)per  ships,  and  Chinese,  as  well  as 

Fiftij-  Ti'o 


Americans,  mourned  when  the  advent  of 
the  steamer  spelled  tlie  end  of  the  clipper. 
For  many  years  trade  between  Canton  and 
American  ports  continued  to  decline  as  a 
logical  result  of  the  decline  of  the  Ameri- 
can merchant  marine;  but  now  that  the 
flag  is  again  seeking  out  new  trade  routes, 
as  in  days  of  old,  trade  between  Canton 
and  other  Chinese  ports  and  the  I'nited 
States  is  beginning  to  assume  something 
of  its  former  proportions. 

History  relates  that  the  iirst  traders  to 
enter  Canton  came  from  Arabia  more  than  a 
thousand  years  ago,  at  which  time  they  built 
the  minaret  known  in  Canton  as  the  ''Plain 
Pagoda."  Besides  engaging  in  trade  with 
the  Cantonese,  the  Arabians  introduced 
Mohamme(hinism  to  the  natives,  and  now, 
althougli  the  Arabian  trade  with  Canton 
stopped  many  years  ago,  the  religion  of 
Mohammed  still  remains  in  the  port. 

Portuguese  traders  entered  Canton  in 
the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century 
(1511).  Tliey  were  ft)llowed  about  a 
century  later  by  the  Britisli,  who  sent 
ships  to  Canton  from  Liverpool,  as  the 
Americans  later  sent  clipper  ships  from 
Boston,  Salem,  and  New  York. 

WASIIINCTOX  :  (loVKItXMENT  rRIXTI.NG  OFFICE  :  1920 


THE  FAMOUS  SEDAN  CHAIR  OF  CHINA 


Fi/ly- Three 


CANTON 
MEMORANDUM 

These  blank  pages  should  be  used  to  note  items  of  interest  to  which  you  will  want  to  refer 


Fifty-Five 


CANTON 
MEMORANDUM 


Fifty-Six 


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